Man suspected of raping woman, attacking deputy

GIFFORD — A 25-year-old man suspected of beating and raping a woman last July had punched a deputy in the chest and took off on foot after the officer tried to arrest him, authorities said.

Lemonta Rashard Wynn, of Melbourne, was arrested Monday on a warrant and charged with sexual battery, false imprisonment, battery, resisting arrest with violence and battery on a law enforcement officer. He is being held at the Indian River County Jail on $72,500 bond.

A deputy went to a home about 9 a.m. June 22, 2017, in response to a disturbance. The deputy spoke to Wynn at the front door of the home, in the 4700 block of 35th Avenue, and then spoke to a woman who was standing behind him.

The woman, 30, told the deputy that a couple hours earlier she woke up to Wynn lying on top of her body.

She told the deputy Wynn asked her if he could have sex with her, and she replied no. The two began to argue and Wynn told the woman, “if you’re not going to give it to me, I’m just going to take it,” deputies said.

She told the deputy Wynn ripped her panties from her body. The woman tried to grab the panties, but Wynn bit the woman’s palms.

She said Wynn then forcefully had sex with her without her consent. The woman pulled her body away from Wynn, ran toward the window and screamed for help.

Wynn then slammed the woman’s head into the window sill several times and slapped her. He strangled the woman and then forced her back onto the bed.

He stopped when the woman began to cry, and the woman texted her sister to call 911, deputies said.

The deputy then spoke to Wynn. When the deputy tried to detain Wynn, the suspect pulled away and punched the officer in the chest. The two wrestled to the ground, and Wynn got up and fled the area.

Wynn was arrested on a warrant and taken to the county jail for booking. He has an arraignment at 8:30 a.m. March 14 in court, court records show.

About

VeroNews.com is the breaking news website of Vero Beach 32963 Media, LLC. Launched in 2008, VeroNews.com has the largest professional news-gathering staff, and is the leading online source of local news in Vero Beach, Sebastian, Fellsmere, and Indian River County.